Make-ready gauge using simulated printing pressure



F. W. SHOBER Aug. 29, 1950 MAKE-READY GAUGE USING SIMULATED PRINTINGPRESSURE Filed May 15, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. PEA lvk W.SHOES/Z AGENT F. w. SHOBER 2,520,474

MAKE-READY GAUGE USING SIMULATED PRINTING PRESSURE Aug. 29, 1950 2 R 0 amm e n 0 WH w 5 w W .m 2 M 2 51V. B m mm 7 m D I ong w Q w M d e l 10 FAGENT Patented Aug. 29, 1950 READY I'GFAUGE USING SIMULHTED PRINTINGPRESSURE -E1'ankW.rShober, Helham,lN. Y.

ApplicationMay 1'5, 1947, Serial No; 748,246

.BmGlaims.

This invention relates 'to improvements in measin 'in'g gagesand inparticular to gages adaptable for -taking measuren-Ients on letter press=printin g members.

Deficiencies in varying degrees are encountered 'in'printing'praotice'by reason of the fact that :the various elements of acomposite le'tter press printing form are 'not :consistent in he'ight topaper? The well known -standard of measurementifor the heightto papeF-ortype height in the United States is 0.91 8. While printers type,asacomponent-in -a printing "form, is usually quite accurate inthis=respect, the thicknesses of the various blocks andmountings whichare as- 'semhled with half tone -plates and -line cuts varyconsiderably,-and therplates themselves are sub- :ject "to errors. Thesedeficiencies 0f size :are 'compensated "for 'by the :process ofmakeready, which requires underlays on tithe 'form or makereadycorrections in the packing o'f :the printing :20

"cylinder. Makereadygin most cases,-'isper'formed by the printing pressoperator at the time that a form is locked-up forprintingand'eonsequent- 1y:a:greatfdea1:of the pressmans timeiisabsorbed :in this preliminaryoperationinvolvingttrial and error. Duetothe fact that a cylinder-press represents a substantial capitaliinvestment this 10st time in :makerea'dy during lock -up is costly.

In order to avoid this non -productive effort-by :theapressman atthe:press,-and=in order to protime :a :more satisfactory :and higherquality of printing, it is *the :principal object "of army "invention toprovide a printers igage with :which mounted orunmounted cuts and platesor "other printing members may be :accurately measured for makereadybefore they are arranged "as a part of a printing :form. in !thepreferred em- Ibodiment of myinvention: shown herein, Iiadapt :myimproved measuring gage for use suntan .im-

posing surface, :which is a standard part of the equipment ofpractically every 'rpririting :xblant, :whereby "an-"accurate and firmfoundation-is provided for measurements, although other suitablesupportingsurfacestmayrbe:used. :In the operation of :my improved gage,:pressurerwmayabe tap- 2 drawings and particularly pointed out in itheappended claims.

In *the drawings,

Figure 1 -is a side elevation View partially in 'oross-section showing atype height gage 'acoording to my invention assembled on an imposingsurface,

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the assembly of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is amend elevationofthe'assemblyo'f "I igmres 1 2,shownipartially in cross-section,

Figure 4 is-a view in cross-section showing details of various :parts oflmytype :height gage taken on line d li'of 'Figure 1,

:Figurefiisa section view taken online 5-7 5 of Figural,

Eigurefi is a view similar to that of'Figure .1 showing an adjustedposition of my gage assemhled on an imposing surface.

'ZR'e'ferring to l the rdrawings, and 'insparticular to Figures 1, Land3, numeral 1!) indicatesa part :ofa rigid metal imposingssurface platewhich is, for conveniencaaplaced upon a table or stand for imposingoperations. :Surface plates of this :nature are Well knownin Jtheart ofprintingand they-are accurately :machined on their top surffaoes: andlikewisekhavelaccuraltely machinedrsides as indicatediby :numeral H,including a .raboeted ledge :cut as vat .42. Other suchssurfaces -may:be iadaptedior" use with my invention: or, 'if desirable, -a speciallyconstructed :base and. stand :may be "supplied having suitable strengthand accuracy characteristics as may be :had with :the conventionalestyle:imposing surface ipl'ate.

Aibifuroatedvbracket 3,ma'chined to conform to the side ofthe'imposingsurfaceat therabbeted 'e'cige under-cut is fastened. totheedge of "the ltabl'e hythe =use of cap screwsM with a stepped :alignmentsurfaceresting on the rabbeted edge Projecting above ithe surfaceelevation of platsm are the bracketextension-portions 1 l 5, l 5, eachof .which has high and low :Ldrilled openings I56 and it, Figure 3,therethrough, and '-below the elevation of :plate 18 "bracket 7! 3 formsa depending-portion !s1,' to which are assembled the rtwo abutmentpieces 18, 1 8. The two sets of :drilled openings i6 and '16 :and the"two rabutment pieceg l8 and IB io'f difierin'g dimensions areausedtohprovidefhigh and .low :gaging adjustmentias will .ibe understood at alater point in 'theispecification.

3A pressure lever 2291s 'pivotally supported be- 1 ween thehifurcatedhracket portions 15, 15' by thetuserofzaeknurledhead1removable pin 32.1 18X" tending through the aligned holes 1H5 :inrbracket I3 and through a suitable bearing hole in lever 20. Pin 2| issplit and spread on its left hand end, Figure 3, so that it will bindslightly when placed in the pivot hole l6 and will consequently beretained in position during measuring operations. On the right end oflever 20, Figure l, which extends over the imposing surface ID, apressure contact member 22, Figures 1 and 2, is provided which isintegral with lever 20 and which engages the top surface of a printingplate 23 therebelow, Figure l, mounted on a suitable base 24. On theleft hand end of lever 20 projecting outwardly below the level of theimposing surface, is a manipulating handle 25 housing a coiledcompression spring 26 which is interposed between a plunger 2'1 and athreaded adjusting screw 28. Plunger 2? projects through an aperture inhandle 25 to exert pressure against the abutment piece l8, tending torock lever 29 clockwise about pin 2i so that the pressure member 22 willforcefully contact printing plate 23.

A second bracket 36, spaced apart and to the left of bracket i3, isremovably fastened to the side of imposing surface plate ID by means ofthe knurled head screw 3 4. Alignment of bracket 3c is maintained byproviding a stepped machined surface which rests on the rabbeted edge E2of plate H in much the same manner as in the application of bracket 53.Bracket 35) overhangs the imposing surface plate as and terminates in anangularly disposed end 33 towhich is fastened a dial indicator 32. Dialindicator 32 of the usual style constructed for precise measurement, isrigidly held fastened to bracket 32 by the thumb screw 34. An extensionpiece -35 removably fastened to indicator 32 projects downwardly to makecontact with printing plate 23 during manipulation of the gage.

Referring particularly to Figures 4 and 5, pressure member 22, whichcontacts the printing plate, is centrally cored and has assembledtherewith a fibre ring 38 suitably fastened to a metal supporting ring3?, the fibre ring providing a printing plate contact element which willnot deleteriously affect the design on the surface of printing plate 23.Three short compression springs 35, seated in suitable holes 39 drilledin bosses 42, are arranged to abut metal ring Bl and are guided overpins All fastened to ring 3?, extending upwardly through the top of thebosses. Hexagon lock nuts 4| on the upper ends of pins 48 retain theassembly in place when no pressure is being exerted against a printingplate. The combined pressure exerted by the three coil springs isgreater than the resultant pressure from spring 26 in handle 25 whenproperly adjusted, so that the metal ring 37 is always spaced from thebody of pressure member 22. However, if there is a deviation fromparallelism between ring 36 and the top surface of printing plate 23,the ring will conform with this irregularity inasmuch as only one springwill be stressed to any extent and the force exerted by a single springwill be overcome by the pressure of spring 26 in handle 25. Thus, whenmeasuring plates which are not parallel to ring 36 on pressure member22, the fibre ring will be self-adjusting and there will be no unevenwear on the ring 36.

In the operation of my device, and before a printing plate has beeninserted under the pressure member, the screw 28 in handle 25 may beadjusted so that spring 25 will exert suitable pressure. Thereafter, theoperator depresses handle 25 and raises the pressure member 22 away fromthe surface It), at the same time com- 4 pressing spring 26. A mountedprinting plate or other printing member is then placed under pressuremember 22. Upon releasing the pressure from handle 25, pressure member22 will be forced downwardly against the printing member and will tendto flatten out the printing plate for a substantial area to simulatepressure under printing impression. The dial indicator is then used totake an accurate reading of the height of the upper surface of printingplate 23 above the imposing surface, the extension piece 35 projectingcentrally through the rings 36 and 31 to permit a reading centrally ofthe area of applied pressure. Dial indicator 32 must, of course, bepre-set in a suitable manner so that the readings which are observed areof the height of the printing surface of printing plate 23 underpressure from the top surface of the imposing surface plate HJ. Anynumber of readings may be made as at corners, along sides or across thebody of the plate and the error above or below type height is marked ina convenient manner at the location of measurement so that plateleveling may be done as a separate makeready operation. 7

Referring now to Figure 6, and assuming now that it is desired tomeasure the thickness of an unmounted plate, the pivoting lever 22 maybe mounted at the lower position with pin 2! inserted through holes ISin bracket portions l5, l5 and the plunger 21 will then be positioned toexert pressure against the lower of the two abutment pieces l8.description adjustment is made on screw 28 in handle 25 so that thedesired degree of pressure is being exerted to rock arm 29 in aclockwise direction about its pivoting center. The identical measuringprocedure is followed as in the case of measurements for mounted plateswith the exception that an extended adaptor member 35 is provided forattachment to the dial indicator to facilitate measurements on theunmounted printing plate.

When not in use it is a simple matter to remove the dial indicatorbracket 39 from surface plate is and thereby make the imposing surfacefree of this obstruction for imposing operations. Likewise, the lever 20may be removed merely by drawing out the pin 2!.

It is to be understood that this description is that of a preferredembodiment of the invention and that various changes in the size andshape of component parts may be made without departing from theinvention or from the scope of the sub-joining claims.

I claim:

i. In a measuring gage, in combination, a supporting surface, a springbiased pressure exerting member arranged to extend over the supportingsurface, a work-piece contacting element carried by said pressureexerting member and biased therefrom by a plurality of spring units, theindividual biasing pressure of each spring unit being less than thatexerted by said pressure exerting member and the combined biasingpressure of the units being more than that exerted by said pressureexerting member, a handle portion integral with said spring biasedpressure exerting member for releasing the pressure exerted thereby, andmeans to take a measurement reading on the work-piece surface adjacentthe area of applied pressure.

2. In a measuring gage, in combination; a rigid plane support, a pivotedmember carried by the support, a spring biased plunger mounted on one Asin the aforementioned end of the pivoted member for exerting pressureagainst the support which is transmitted to a Work-piece resting on thesupport, a Work con tasting element on the other end of the pivotedmember and spring biased therefrom by a pi".- rality of spring units,the individual biasing pressure exerted by the spring units being lessthan that transmitted to a work-piece by said spring biased plunger andthe combined biasing pressure of the spring units being greater thanthat transmitted to a Work-piece by said plunger and a handle portion onthe first mentioned end of said pivoted member to release the springpressure exerted by said plunger.

3. In a measuring gage, in combination, a horizontal work supportingsurface, manually re leasable spring biased means extending over thesupporting surface, a Work-piece contacting e1ement carried by saidextending means and spring biased therefrom by a plurality of springunits, the biasing pressure exerted by each unit being less than thatbeing exerted by said extending means, and the combined biasing pressureof 8 the units being more than that exerted by said extending means, andan indicator to measure the elevation of the top surface of a Work-pieceresting on the supporting surface engaged by the spring pressed meansadjacent the area of contact thereof.

FRANK W. SHOBER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in th file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,171,646 Replogle Feb. 15, 19161,307,775 Hacker June 24, 1919 1,307,776 Hacker June 24, 1919 1,617,281Ames Feb. 8, 1927 1,984,837 Kronenberg Dec. 18, 1934 2,051,357 ZenkeAug. 18, 1936 2,134,184 Guyer Oct. 25, 1938 2,321,121 Basquin June 8,1943

